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Re: Real World Physics



I have heard a story somewhere that I use when discussing bungy activity.

Did you hear about the guy who was wanting to do a bungy jump?
"I don't trust that rubber band, give me a chain"

Exercise: "Write a brief clear description of the physics of this situation
explaining why AJ Hackett does not use chains in his bungys."

:-)


Derek Chirnside - DCandPC@netaccess.co.nz
"From NZ, the home of the bungy"

-----Original Message-----
From: phys-l@lists.nau.edu: Forum for Physics Educators
[mailto:PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu]On Behalf Of Eric T. Lane
Sent: Sunday, 4 February 2001 07:00
To: PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu
Subject: Real World Physics


22-SEP-00 -- Dope On A Rope
According to the Times of London, in May of this year a
22-year-old American man died during an attempt to bungee jump
between the Stechelbert and Schilthorn mountains in Bernese,
Oberland.
Traveling with a group on an event organized by travel company
"Adventure World" (a company that has seen, by the way, over 22
of their customers die during events they've hosted during the
past year) the young man failed to "bounce back" from his jump,
as expected.
The problem? The young man simply never reached the end of his
rope. Investigators who inspected the rope found it in perfect
condition. The enthusiastic jumper had attached himself to a
cord that was 540 feet long but the distance between him and the
parking lot where he landed was only 300 feet.
And you kids out there think you'll never need to know
'physics' in the real world...

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Prof. Eric T. Lane 318 Grote Hall 423-755-4523 eric-lane@utc.edu
Physics Dept.2352, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, TN 37403